Major pentatonic · C · Piano
The C Major pentatonic scale is C D E G A — formula 1 2 3 5 6, step pattern W–W–W+H–W–W+H. Use it over Cmaj7: it is the scale for major and dominant chords when you want a clean, open sound with no avoid notes. Below, every note is marked on the two-octave keyboard; press play to hear it on a synthesized piano while each note lights up, or tap any key to sound that note.
Visualizer
Piano
Guitar · standard tuning
Tap any note on the diagram to hear it. Play runs the scale up and down one octave in eighth notes. “Show” switches or combines the fretboard and keyboard; “Sound” picks the instrument you hear. Audio is synthesized in the browser.
Reference
| Degree | Note | Interval from C | Step to next |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | C | unison (0 semitones) | W |
| 2 | D | major 2nd (2 semitones) | W |
| 3 | E | major 3rd (4 semitones) | W+H |
| 5 | G | perfect 5th (7 semitones) | W |
| 6 | A | major 6th (9 semitones) | W+H |
Chord it implies: Cmaj7. Use it for: major and dominant chords when you want a clean, open sound with no avoid notes.
Common questions
C D E G A. As scale degrees: 1 2 3 5 6. It has 5 notes.
C Major pentatonic fits Cmaj7 and, more generally, major and dominant chords when you want a clean, open sound with no avoid notes.
1 2 3 5 6 — the step pattern from the root is W W W+H W W+H (W = whole step, H = half step).
Play C D E G A C ascending from the root, then descend. The keyboard above shows every root in gold, chord tones outlined in amber and the remaining scale tones in teal; use the Play button to hear the fingering tempo.
Keep going
Same scale on guitar · all Major pentatonic pages: Major pentatonic hub · theory: chord-scale theory.
Other scales from C